Thursday, 20 April 2017

As China races ahead, MoD dithers on India’s aircraft carrier

Even as it learns to operate a carrier (Liaoning, above), the PLA Navy is thinking three carriers ahead

By Ajai Shukla

Business Standard, 20th April 17

As Beijing decisively implements its vision
of aircraft carrier-based naval power, New Delhi seems uncertain about the form
and structure of its naval combat aviation.

Last month China’s defence ministry announced
the impending launch of Shandong, its
first indigenous aircraft carrier. On Friday, a Beijing-based naval expert revealed
that the People’s Liberation Army (Navy)’s, or PLA(N)’s, third carrier could be
a US Navy-style nuclear-powered vessel, featuring an electromagnetic aircraft
launch system (EMALS).

In New Delhi, however, a senior navy
admiral revealed uncertainty about India’s indigenous aircraft carrier
programme. The first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1), named INS Vikrant, will
roll out of Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) later this decade. But the navy and the
ministry are still making up their minds about its successor, IAC-2.

Vice Admiral DM Deshpande, the navy’s
warship acquisition head, stated on Tuesday that the ministry remains uncertain
about spending billions of dollars on a carrier.

“Right now there is a bit of a question
mark from the ministry’s side, [although] we have taken this up to the ministry
on a few occasions. [An aircraft carrier] is a huge ticket item and, before
some commitments are made on allocation of these funds everybody wants to be
very clear on the requirement, whether we actually need that. So these are
being addressed [before] we actually take it up to the government for final
clearances”, said Deshpande, addressing defence industrialists in New Delhi.

The three services are competing for the
same limited budget. With the cost of INS Vikrant (IAC-1) reportedly nudging $4
billion, the Indian Air Force argues that land-based combat aircraft, with
their ranges enhanced with in-flight refuelling, would project offensive air
power more cheaply than an aircraft carrier. The navy counters that an aircraft
carrier is a mobile air base, that can move to a combat zone quickly.

Even within the navy, some argue that the
same amount spent on submarines, or a larger number of smaller surface warships
like destroyers, frigates and corvettes, would generate greater combat effect
than a carrier.

This is the longstanding debate between sea
denial (denying the enemy the use of the sea, primarily with submarines) and
sea control (dominating the ocean with air and surface power, built around a
carrier). Sea control requires massive spending on carrier battle groups, or CBGs
– an aircraft carrier and the warships that accompany it. In contrast, sea
denial is a defensive strategy that takes less money – the cost of a
submarine-based force.

Powerful, modern navies --- like the US
Navy, the Royal Navy, the French, Russian and now even the PLA(N) --- have all
built their fleets around aircraft carriers, enabling the projection of power to
large distances from home bases.

Although the Indian Navy doctrine talks
about power projection, and the service has decisively opted for aircraft
carriers, discussion continues over whether to build a large, nuclear-powered
carrier, or a smaller one like IAC-1. Reflecting this, Deshpande says: “There
are lots of discussions within the navy on what type of IAC-2 we want. From the
tonnage to the propulsion --- we are debating on this. Once we are more or less
clear within the navy [about] what exactly we want, we would take up the case
with the ministry for various approvals.”

Sea control advocates in the navy are
inclined towards a 65,000-tonne, nuclear powered carrier that embarks 55 combat
aircraft; and a state-of-the-art EMALS catapult that can rapidly launch fighter
aircraft as well as larger aircraft for electronic warfare and airborne early
warning. The name being suggested for IAC-2 is INS Vishal.

Deshpande expresses confidence that “in the
next two-three months, we should be in a position to take it up to the ministry
to get the funds”. With INS Vikrant likely to be operationally ready only in
2023 – eight years late – there is little time to lose.

Currently, the PLA(N) operates only its
first-ever carrier, the 65,000-tonne Liaoning, which Beijing bought from Russia,
refurbished, and commissioned in 2012. India, with far greater experience, has
operated at least one aircraft carrier ever since INS Vikrant joined the fleet
in 1961.

The PLA(N), however, now plans to
commission and operate at least 5-6 carriers. The Indian Navy plans to operate
a fleet of three aircraft carriers.

This while expansion of an armed force is just about money.We may build or buy ships ,submarines , fighters. Then 1. How much does their maintenance cost ? One way is to ensure they are not used much, then affects the crew training .2. The proportionally high amount of ammunition bought also has a shelf life, more money .3. Then where do you get trained men to man all the ships, pilot all the fighters ? Let us plan as per our needs. If 45kton is sufficient, so be it. Not compare with someone else.

All navies have a design and build minimum 3 ships of yeh class, each slightly better than previous.Only in india we have a russian aircraft carrier, an indian 45kton. The third one a has completely new design proposed !Navy should be asked build improved IAc-1 or go to hell.We have too many types of submarines (russian, French, german, indian nuke ), too many types of destroyers , too many types of everything. Buy 45 MiGs , within an year issue another RFQ !This must be logistical and training nightmare.No wonder so many accidents take place.